A Word of Advice
by The Emblem of Ice
Summary: Soma heard and listened to Jouichirou's advice on becoming a great chef. How will this change his approach to cooking? What about how he interacts with people? {Soma/Erina}
1. Advice Heard

Notes: This is my first story, so point out any flaws so I can fix them. Flames will be used for cooking.

Also, I'm taking a couple of liberties with canon.

Soma knows his father went to Tootsuki, but does _not_ know he was on the elite ten, or that his dad's name used to be Saiba.

Soma is also aware that his dad traveled to various places around the world, but not why.

Soma will tease people _slightly_ less.

Jouichiro graduated from Tootsuki.

That's all for now.

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

 **Scene name/time skip**

 _ **Emphasis**_

 _Indicates Flashback start/end/Brief Memory_

Indicates dish names

* * *

 **Outside the Tootsuki Academy entrance:**

"Then let me tell you a secret to improve your cooking…" the voice said over the phone. It was Yukihira Jouichirou, talking to his son before Soma would take the transfer exam to enter a culinary school where only 10% of the students graduate.

Soma lifted an eyebrow in curiosity, though he said nothing.

"The secret to being a good chef is to meet a person you want to devote all your cooking to."

' _Like you and mom'_ Soma thought. "Got it." he said before hanging up. He didn't really understand _how_ he was supposed to do that, or even care that much about doing so. He was already a skilled cook, and he was about to get into the same place his dad learned at; yet he didn't cook like every dish he made was for that special someone. Instead he focused on a specific goal: surpassing his father.

Walking past several people with guards and servants around them and onto the massive grounds the red haired teen let himself get lost in thought, 'All these people are here to take the entrance exam? Dad wasn't kidding when he said it's the top school in Japan.-' when he bumped into the side of an occupied bench. Sheepishly he stated "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," the rich looking kid, who introduced himself as Yoshiaki Nikaido said. "Are you also taking the entrance exam?"

After confirming that he was, Soma and Yoshiaki talked briefly about their families' restaurants Yoshiaki insulted Restaurant Yukihira for being a plebeian establishment. One uppercut later Soma walked past the jeering crowd of spectators towards the exam site.

 **Exam site: a little while later**

After reaching the exam site Soma and the other applicants waited for a couple of minutes for the examiner to show. She was dressed in what Soma was guessing was the Tootsuki school uniform and introduced herself as Nakiri Erina, and stated that to enter the school the applicants each had to make a dish she felt was satisfactory using eggs as the main ingredient. Cue the fleeing of the less confident applicants i.e. everyone other than Soma. "The main ingredient is the egg, right? Are there any other conditions?"

'This guy has to be either an idiot or insane. Probably insane.' Both Erina and her aid Hisako, who brought out the ingredient table/prep station, thought. Aloud Erina stated that as long as eggs were the main ingredient no other restrictions applied. "Who is this guy?" she asked, turning to her aide.

After quickly looking through the files Hisako found his. "His name is Yukihira Soma. His family runs a special-of-the-day restaurant. He doesn't seem like much."

Meanwhile, with the only person there to cook, 'How about Yukihira Secret Menu item #8? Yeah, that should work.' " _The secret to being a good chef is to meet a person you want to devote all your cooking to."_ Soma paused for a moment, recalling the words he heard not even an hour ago. 'Maybe… maybe I should try cooking like I did for Mom, before she died.'

"If you're just going to stand there and waste my time I'll fail you right now!" the sharp voice broke Soma from his musings.

"Sorry 'bout that. I had to pick what dish to make." With that, the male began cooking by placing some chicken wings in a large pot of boiling water, followed by setting the rice to cook, and lastly scrambling some eggs.

With everything needing a bit of time to cook, Erina had the chance to ask what both her and Hisako were thinking, "What are you making?"

"You can't tell?" he replied in a slightly teasing, slightly arrogant tone; causing Erina to develop a twitch above her eye. "It's Transforming Furikake Gohan (Transforming Seasoned Rice)"

"Trans..forming?" Hisako echoed, her tone laced with confusion.

"You'll see in a moment. It's almost ready." Soma replies as he puts the bowl of white rice on a tray next to a small dish seemingly filled with the scrambled eggs.

'He's mocking me?!' Erina thought, appearing visibly insulted. "This exam is over! This isn't worth any more of my time."

"I never said it was done yet, did I?" Soma responded while he finished setting up the tray before dumping the contents of the small dish onto the rice, revealing it to be scrambled egg and a gold, almost honey colored really, jelly-like substance that began melting onto the egg and rice.

'It melted?' Erina thought as she observed the last of the odd concoction dissolve onto the rice. 'An aspic!' she realized as the steam from the rice carried the scent of the gelatinous chicken broth, begrudgingly impressed that an apparently uneducated chef knew how to make something like that. "...I suppose a bite won't hurt."

"Erina-sama!" Hisako cried, shocked at the sudden change.

"Dig in, examiner Nakiri." Soma stated as he held out the tray; the small, seemingly content, smile and genuine warmth in his voice briefly catching the pair off guard.

As Erina took her first bite she felt as if she was laying in a bed made of angel feathers, soft and warm. Safe, in a way. Almost like when she was young, before _**he**_ came. As she returned to reality, she realized she was so caught up in the taste of the food that she didn't examine it at all. She took a second bite, analyzing every aspect of it she possibly could, trying to find some inexcusable flaw she could use to fail Yukihira Soma.

"Well, examiner Nakiri? Is it delicious or disgusting?" Said chef asked in a tone of curiosity mixed with slight amusement, no doubt due to the fact she had to take more than the single bite she said she would take.

"It's not delicious,but…" here the blonde hesitated, as if she were trying to force herself to not say what she was about to "it wasn't disgusting either. It was… good. You pass, if only barely." Then her tone and stance shifted to one that only echelons of society could ever use, "You will need to do better than this plebeian dish if you want to survive at Tootsuki for long."

Soma, for the second time that day, actually decided to listen to someone else's advice. "Happy to serve!" he exclaimed, while simultaneously making plans to improve even more in the month before school would actually begin. He also decided that the sensation of warmth he felt when Nakiri said his cooking was good was just pride.

* * *

Finally managed to produce a chapter. Read, review, and please give suggestions on what needs improvement. I hate producing a flawed chapter just as much as you hate reading one.

Also, a quick thanks to Laury Rose, the author of an awesome Shokugeki no Soma story titled _Misunderstanding_ , for the advice they gave me; and a quick thanks to Zancrow, whose fic _Nouvelle_ actually gave me the inspiration to make this into a proper story.


	2. Advice Followed

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

 **Scene name/time skip**

 _ **Emphasis**_

 _Indicates Flashback start/end/Brief Memory_

Indicates dish name

* * *

Chapter 2: The Declaration

 **Restaurant Yukihira:**

'One month to improve...' the resident chef thought, analyzing what could be the most disgusting dish ever. Yes, worse than his dad's Dried Sardines Garnished with Strawberry Jam. The dish in question was Squid Tentacle Drizzled with Sour Cream and Chocolate. "I guess I should get to work then." he mumbles while placing his creation back on the plate.

He takes stock of what he currently has to work with: bacon, rice, potatoes, eggs, both red and white wine, chicken stock, apples, onions, ground beef, pasta, tomatoes, and various spices. "Hm… that could work." he mumbles.

Suddenly he places a pot of water on to boil, and adds salt. Next he puts a sauce pan on the stove to warm, and starts chopping the tomatoes and onions. He also sets out the red wine, garlic, beef, and a small portion of bacon. He puts the diced tomatoes and onion of to the side and places the bacon in the hot pan. Soma mumbles to himself as he cooks the various components of his dish, "Cook the pasta until it's just short of being al dente. Remove the bacon. Add the tomato and onion to the pan." He continues to work, making a tomato sauce, cooking the beef with a splash of the wine, and combining the results with the pasta. He completes the still unnamed dish by garnishing it with thyme and a small amount of fresh made bacon bits. Soma tastes the "Yukihira Style Spaghetti with Bacon Garnish (prototype)" as he calls it; and feeling satisfied with the result he makes a note to see about adding it to Yukihira's secret menu.

And so the month goes by...

 **Meanwhile, at Tootsuki:**

"Erina-sama, it's time for your last appointment." Hisako called, "Then you're free for the next two days."

"Let's go then." the blond says, holding back a shudder at what this dish may be like. After all, it was the same students that managed to make a soup that gave the impression of bathing with a gorilla. Somehow. "Then I can make a new dish."

"A.. new dish..." the pink haired secretary mumbled, a light flush on her face.

"You can be the first to try it-"

Hisako returns to reality at this, cutting her boss off with profuse thanks.

"-as I was saying; you can be the first to try it _**if**_ you go buy the first volume of that manga everyone mentioned for me." she finishes with a smirk.

"To Heart, right?" Hisako asks as they arrive at the garden, sighing in acceptance. Erina nods in confirmation before sitting down to try another attempt a making a bowl of soup.

As the owner of the God Tongue tries the soup, she finds herself on a beautiful cruise ship. She looks around, relaxed; until she registers that the other passengers resemble bears. "I'm impressed," she starts, her voice perfectly neutral; the chefs' faces light up, thinking that they succeeded. The poor fools. She finishes her statement with "you managed to make it _**worse**_ in under 24 hours. Truly, it takes talent to do so." The unfortunate students immediately hang their heads in shame.

And so the month passed by...

* * *

 **One Month Later, Tootsuki Entrance Ceremony:**

"… and now, the only student in the history of Tootsuki Academy to pass the high school transfer exam." the headmaster, Nakiri Senzaemon, stated; surprising the few who had heard of how challenging said exam was.

Soma walks onstage, a cocky look on his face. "Ermm... I'm Soma Yukihira. Truth be told I don't plan on losing to someone who hasn't had to serve a customer before. I'll be using all of you as stepping stones. Now that I'm here, I'll take the top." Soma walks offstage, not letting the anticipation of the constant challenges he would now have to endure show on his face. He heads backstage, nearly bumping into Erina in the process.

"Yukihira-kun..." she started, trailing off as she tries to think of the best way to phrase the question on her mind, "… just _**why**_ did you think that challenging the entire first year class was a _**good**_ idea?! If you didn't want to attend should have resigned during the transfer exam instead of wasting everyone's time." she finishes with a cold tone.

"What are you talking about?"

"This is a school to become a world class chef, _**not**_ a place for childish boasting!" she exclaimed, glaring at the gold eyed male in front of her. Mentally, ' _I was wrong, he's not just insane; he's an insane idiot.'_

"All I did was tell them the truth." he says, slightly confused. "This way they," he pauses for a moment to point to the crowd on the other side of the curtain," will come to me. I meant it when I said I was going to use them as stepping stones."

"Don't make me laugh! You think you can surpass me?…."

A little distance away stood Senzaemon, looking amused as he listened to the conversation/squabbling between his granddaughter and Soma. ' _So, that's Jouichirou's brat. He shows promise.'_

The Demon King of Food is broken out of his thoughts when he hears Soma say something in a loud voice before the two go quiet.

 **Moments Earlier, with Soma and Erina-sama**

"… the best you can hope for is second place!" Erina finishes her mini speech towards Soma, only for him to say something surprising.

"You know, I haven't made you say my cooking is delicious yet..." he starts; having apparently ignored her, "… I can't let that go. I will make you say 'It's delicious' one day!" he declares, silencing her before she could say anything. As she opens her mouth to retort the students are dismissed to find their way to the first class.

* * *

 **French Cuisine Classroom**

Various students stand around, most of them quietly chatting about the "upstart transfer student". One of the few who wasn't happened to be a petite blue haired girl. Her name was Tadokoro Megumi. She was shaking with nerves as the teacher, Roland Chapelle, entered the room. He quickly instructed the students to pair up, and informed them that they would be making beouf bourguignon. Most students found a partner with ease, leaving Tadokoro and Soma to partner up.

"I-I'm Tadokoro Megumi" she stuttered, growing more nervous with several sets of eyes watching her and Soma.

"Soma Yukihira. Nice to meet you."

As the two cook and get to know one another, they find that they need more ingredients and rush to get the; leaving the pot unattended for a brief period of time. Chapelle watches as one student dumps a large quantity of salt into the unwatched pot. He decides to punish them after class, and continues to observe the pairs; curious as to how the transfer student would handle it. _'He did say he would take the top spot. Let's see how he works under unexpected pressure.'_

"Hey, Tadokoro" Soma calls, "did you add this salt to the pot?" When she responds in the negative Soma decides to piss off even more students by _**thanking**_ the saboteur, claiming it gives him a chance to show he is more than just talk.

When he and Tadokoro present their dish Chapelle-sensei asks how they overcame the _**accident**_ that occurred. Soma simply holds up a jar of honey, while explaining how it tenderizes the meat and was used as a seasoning.

"Tadokoro, Yukihira, I'll give you an A. It is a shame, however, that I can't give you a higher grade." Chapelle says while smiling. As the two start cleaning he turns to the saboteur with a glare and tells him to get out of his class and not come back.

 **A Few Hours After Class, with Erina and Hisako**

"Erina-sama did you hear?" Hisako asks while catching up to her boss/friend as she finishes organizing the various files that the 10th seat holder is required to do. "The transfer student managed to get the best grade in Chapelle's class!" she finishes with a look of shock on her face. "Rumors even say he was able to make Chapelle _**smile**_!"

"Really now? I think we should ask Yukihira-kun ourselves. He's right there after all." the blond points out while walking closer to the student in question, who looked lost.

"Hey Nakiri!" he calls out, "Does anyone know how to get to the dorm? I've been asking around for hours!"

"Hisako, can you find out how to get to the dorm. It wouldn't do for us if we made a student sleep outside in this weather."

"One moment." the pinkette replies, already looking for the info.

While she does this, Erina decides to ask Soma about the rumors. She isn't one to normally care what rumors say, but one claiming that someone made 'The Chef that Never Smiles' smile is a different story.

"Yeah, he smiled. Why is everyone making a big deal about it?" Soma asks, showing his lack of awareness when it comes to nearly anything that isn't the act of cooking.

Hisako stops the two, telling them she found a map to the dorm. "It's easy to get to, but it's also a long walk. It would take at least a half hour by car." she informs them.

"Any way I could get a ride?" Soma asks jokingly.

"Maybe if you beg." Erina replies, letting her haughtiness show through again.

Soma turns, sighing. "I guess I should start walking. And I was hoping I would get a second opinion on my newest dish. But if the princess is unwilling to give me a ride, I probably won't have time to cook tonight." he says, dropping the metaphorical bait.

At this Erina is torn. She wants to ignore the person who her managed to wound her pride effortlessly; but she also wants to taste another of his dishes, to try and experience that warm and safe feeling again. "Hisako prepare a car. We're going to the Polar Star Dorm." Soma smirks.

* * *

A fair distance away a white haired girl giggles, a devious look in her eye as she watches her cousin go off with the most infamous student on campus. "It seems my dear cousin might not be as untouchable as she appears"

A voice calls from behind her "Milady Alice, it's time for our next match!"

"Mou~, Ryo-kun! I wanted to follow Erina." she pouts as she walks away.

* * *

 **Dorm**

As the car approaches the location of the dorm, the three first years get their first look at Soma's future residence. "It looks like a haunted house." the lone male comments.

The other two nod, with Hisako adding "Is it even structurally sound?"

"It should be fine." he replied flippantly.

Upon entering the trio find themselves in a dim foyer, just in time to see a small herd of game animals go by. Before they can fully comprehend what happened a loud thud s heard from upstairs. _**Then**_ smoke can be smelt from somewhere else. Soma chuckles nervously as a voice threatens to punish the offenders in various, creative ways.

The owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows to reveal on older woman revealing herself as the matron of the Polar Star Dormitory. She proceeded to tell the trio that they need to cook something that impresses her, under the mistaken idea that all three were new residents.

Soma speaks up to correct her saying "I'm the only new resident, these two just felt like tagging along." Soma then heads to the kitchen to begin cooking so he wouldn't be forced to sleep outside in the cold April weather.

He collects the leftover ingredients to work with. He has onions, eggs, canned mackerel, oil, bread crumbs, and the stuff he brought, originally to cook with in the morning. He uses dried squid to make a stock, mixes the mackerel with egg, bread crumbs, and onion to make a hamburg steak like patty. He cooked it in a pan, then made a sauce to top it with; and uses the stock to make an egg soup. After tasting the meal Fumio tried to kiss a freaked out Soma. Cue a violet eye gaining a _**slight**_ twitch. After Fumio returned to reality she was impressed enough to immediately allow Soma to stay in room 303.

Soma heads to his new room to set his stuff down before he runs into an older looking student. Said student introduces himself as second year student Satoshi Isshiki. "There will be a welcome party for you in room 205 later. We will eat food from the same stove and live under the same roof. That is what it means to be a student!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"Okay. Is it okay if I bring a couple of friends to the party?" Soma asks, unfazed by his senpai's quirks. His weirdness tolerance is pretty high thanks to his dad.

"Of course! The more the merrier!"

"I'll go tell them, they're probably waiting downstairs anyway."

After convincing the two to attend, mostly by saying that Erina is spoiled and needs to associate with commoners more; making it a matter of pride for the blond, who dragged her aide along

 **A little while later, room 205, as the party is in quieting down  
**

"Why am I here again?" Erina asks, irritated at her newest friend(?).

"Because this is the only chance you'll have to act like us commoners for a while?" he replies, intentionally poking the hornet's nest.

"Hisako, why did I pass him again?"

"I don't know, Erina-sama. I think it may have had something to do with whatever you were thinking when you ate his cooking. You _**were**_ blushing after all." the secretary teases. Based on the slight slur in her voice it is easy to conclude that she somehow got drunk on the rice juice, despite it having zero alcohol in it.

"I was not!" she denies hotly, her cheeks tinted pink.

Hearing this the few who were not unconscious (Isshiki, Shun, and Megumi) are surprised, having not expected that Erina was the examiner to let Soma pass the transfer exam. It did explain how the two knew each other though.

"Hey Soma, how did you manage to pass her exam?" Megumi asks. While Soma tries to explain that all he did was cook a dish, and that it wasn't some feat of magic, Isshiki slips into the kitchen.

"... and that's how I passed th- who's cooking?" Soma suddenly asks.

Before anyone can answer him Isshiki steps out of the kitchen, clothed in only an apron. Hisako tries to cover Erina's eyes. Soma is just confused as to why. Nobody else reacts, already used to their senpai's antics. "Here." the apron clad man said, offering each of them a plate containing Lemon and Pepper Mackerel Pasta with Spinach Puree . Soma, eager to try more good food, takes a bite.

Soma finds himself standing in a field of flowers in bloom. He feels a slight, cool breeze blow by. Just as quickly he's back Marui's room. He looks at the others and sees that they also had similar reactions. "Why don't you make us something Soma?" he hears.

"Huh?" the teen asks, not quite back to his senses yet. "Oh, sure. Just give me a moment." he responds as the question registers. Walking to the kitchen, he grabs the ingredients from his bag. Deciding to make his most recent successful dish, he starts cooking.

While he cooks the small group of residents turn to the other two that were present at the transfer exam, intent on getting answers as to what _**actually**_ happened. Nobody was satisfied with Soma's  " _All I did was cook a simple dish"_ response. "So, what really happened?" Isshiki asks, curious as to how Soma managed to meet the standards of Tootsuki's Princess.

Hisako starts to explain, describing how Soma just started cooking, yet remaining relaxed the entire time. When she gets to the part where Erina tried the dish she stops, unsure of how to describe what occurred without having tried the food herself. She looks to her boss, silently asking for her to explain what happened.

Erina sighs, knowing she wouldn't be able to dodge the question. "He held out the Transforming Furikake Gohan with a smile. When I tried it I found as if I were in an incredibly soft bed. I also felt warm; safe even." she says, her brain not registering the words until after they came out of her mouth. Apparently the rice juice's placebo effect loosened her lips as much as it did her aide's.

"Ooh, sounds like you _**like**_ him.~" Hisako (who Erina would later think spent _**way**_ too much time around her crazy cousin) sang. This causes Shun to drop his cup (which was held in his mouth again for some odd reason); Megumi to blush, let out a slight squeak in embarrassment, and look like she wanted to disappear for some reason; and Isshiki to open his mouth, no doubt about to say something about either "Youth" or "Springtime" when Soma walked in with five bowls of what appeared to be spaghetti, wearing the same warm smile he had when serving Erina during the exam. He hands a bowl to Shun, then Megumi, Hisako, Isshiki, and lastly Erina, before telling them to dig in.

The five start eating, surprised at the depth of the flavor in the simple looking dish. They each have a similar reaction: they find themselves alone in cozy room resembling a study with an old fashioned fireplace on the far side of the room. It gives off a feeling similar to that of what one might expect of a loving father's office. Safe and warm, like nothing could disturb them. They feel themselves start drift off before they are suddenly jolted awake.

Isshiki returns to his senses just enough to ask his question, "Where did the garlic flavor come from?"

"When I fried the bacon I used garlic oil. I used the same pan to cook the sauce, and again with the beef. The flavor is further brought out with the grated parmesan incorporated into the sauce and the beef was cooked with a splash of red wine to bring out the meaty flavors." he explains. "How was it?"

Three of the five merely say it was delicious with flushed faces, the exceptions being the two elite ten members. Isshiki says it was impressive, especially with how the flavors worked to relax and reinvigorate the eater; despite spaghetti normally being a heavier dish. Erina's response was the one Soma was most anxious to hear, though he didn't understand why.

"I-it w-was …" she mumbles the rest of her answer.

"We can't hear you _**princess**_ " the cook says, reverting back to the teasing tone he seems to be using more and more lately.

"Itwasreallygood!" she blurts out as she rushes to her room for the night, hoping in vain that nobody noticed the redness on her face. Hisako runs after her, apologizing for not staying to help clean up the mess. Shun and Megumi get up to return to their rooms, doing the same.

As he and Isshiki clean up the mess, Soma wonders why Erina was so reluctant to say anything about his cooking. "Senpai, I was wondering something. How do you get on the elite ten?"

The question catches the upperclassman by surprise, but he recovers easily enough. "You challenge a current member to a shokugeki, with the stakes being their seat. If you win, you get the spot."

"That's it? No big tv event? No massive amount of rules, or unique situations like having to run a mock restaurant, or anything?"

"Nothing like that." Isshiki laughs out. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Well, I thought maybe since the elite ten have so much power there might be some unique rules or something…" Soma says, trailing off as he realizes how odd it sounds out loud. The two continue talking as they finish cleaning before going to their own rooms, in need of sleep.

 **With Erina, right after she gets to her room**

 _'What's wrong with me? Why am I blushing?'_ she thinks, trying to calm down.

 _"Sounds like you like him."  
_

 _'She's wrong! There's no way I like Soma-kun!'_ she shakes her head. _'Wait, when did he become Soma-kun?'_ Deciding that she needs to sleep before she can think on it more, she lays down, thankful she didn't have to get up early the next day.

* * *

Done! This chapter didn't want to flow that well in my opinion, but I still managed to get it out ahead of schedule. Sorry if it's a bit rough. Read, review, and all that.


	3. Advice Sought

**AN 1: I honestly didn't expect this story to grow so quickly. Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed!**

 **AN 2: It was brought to my attention that at least one reader felt that the romance might be progressing to quickly. Allow me to clarify for them and any who feel the same; Soma is just wanting Erina to admit his cooking is delicious, and isn't even aware of the crush that he is developing; he is still the same dense idiot from canon, just with slight changes. Erina is still a sheltered rich girl whose only romance "experience" is some shoujo manga. How do you expect her to act?**

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

 **Scene change/time skip**

 _Flashback/ brief memory_

Dish name

* * *

Chapter 3: Advice Sought

 **Polar Star Dorm, Soma's room:**

It was the weekend, so one could normally expect to sleep in. Soma Yukihira certainly did, right until Isshiki woke him via yelling into the megaphone that was right next to his ear. "You should come help out. It'll be fun!" After trying and failing to get the energetic upperclassmen to leave him be, the redhead gave in.

"What are we doing anyway?" he asks the others who were woken up. (Everyone other than Fumio, Erina, and Hisako)

"Harvesting vegetables in the field out back." Yoshino replies as the group heads outside.

The group idly chatters as they work. Eventually they take a break to eat, all of them enjoying Megumi's Three Kinds of Onigiri, though Soma ruined the moment by asking her why she doesn't make things that good in classes. They work until it gets close to noon before returning to the dorm, expecting to have to clean up and figure out who would be responsible for lunch. To their surprise, only the first half of that statement was correct. While they were working Erina had taken it upon herself to cook. Apparently someone went on an ingredient run, as there was no other way she could have made some of the stuff on the table.

They were impressed. The meal consisted of simple, yet elegantly prepared Nikuman (Steamed Pork Buns) and a few pickled vegetables as sides. After everybody started eating Isshiki felt the need to ask what prompted her to cook. After she explains that it was her way of repaying the dorm members for letting her stay, she and Hisako left; the latter having called a car while Erina was explaining.

* * *

 **A few Hours Later, Polar Star Dorm:**

Soma was bored. He ran through his options of things to do to pass the time, ' _I could try a new recipe-wait, not enough ingredients. Everyone else is busy, so cards are out. Guess I'm going for a walk.'_ he decides. Writing a note in case someone tries to find him, he grabs his phone and jacket before exiting the building. After he walks the long path from the dorm he wanders around, just taking in the sites on campus.

Eventually he stumbles across a rather large kitchen that appears to be in use. Being curious he walks over to spy on- er, _observe_ whoever is cooking.

Within the room is a single white haired male who looks to be a bit older than even Isshiki, the only upperclassman Soma had encountered. ' _Third year.'_ he decides, silently mesmerized by the precision and care the chef is putting into every step of both prep and cooking. As Soma stared, the student finishes his last dish, mumbling something, and looks up. ' _Busted!'_ Soma thinks, panicking slightly at being caught.

* * *

 **With the student, moments earlier:**

' _...and there. Done!'_ he thinks, letting out a sigh as he does so. "Much easier when Rindou isn't bothering me." he mumbles, before looking up. He spots Soma, who looks like a deer in headlights. The white haired student stares.

"Um… hi?"

 **Back to Soma:**

"Um… hi?" he says aloud, internally trying to find a way to explain why he was there.

Before he can say anything else the older student responds. "H-hi," he stuttered, "who are you?"

' _This guy is a third year? Where's the confidence he had while cooking?'_ Soma thinks while introducing himself.

"Was there something you needed, Yukihira-kun?"

"Not really. I was just wandering around when I saw someone was using this kitchen and came to check it out." he replies, a trace of embarrassment in his voice. "Your dishes look really good." he compliments, trying to avoid more awkwardness. "I didn't catch your name, senpai."

"Ts-Tsukasa Eishi." the now named student replies, becoming nervous again for some reason. "Would you like to try them?" he asks, gesturing to the nearly forgotten dishes on the counter.

"No fair~! You never offer to let me try any of your new dishes!" a new voice whines, startling both Soma and Tsukasa.

' _When did she get there?!'_ they both wonder. "A friend of yours Tsukasa-senpai?" Soma asks.

The new arrival, a girl with red hair and yellow cat-like eyes, answers before the white haired chef can respond; "I'm Kobayashi Rindou. This guy's only friend." she cheerfully says before turning to her fellow third year, "Why don't you ever offer to let me try anything?" she whines with an exaggerated pout.

Tsukasa sweats and answers, "Because you always take some anyway, and you never give me any feedback."

While this is going on Soma just stares with a sweatdrop on his forehead ' _Are all upperclassmen insane? Hm, that would explain why dad is crazy; he did graduate from here.'_ "Tsukasa-senpai what dish should I try first?" he asks, knowing that as a course meal the dishes are eaten in a certain order for reason.

"Start with this one." Tsukasa indicates a bowl with sakura shrimp in it.

As both Soma and Rindou try it they enter a near blank state of mind. Soma was the first to recover, as Rindou was busy savoring the flavors. "It's really good senpai. What next?" Tsukasa slides a dish that vaguely resembles a miniature sandwich. Soma cuts a portion off and tries it. "This is also really good! But it feels like something is missing. Maybe something with fruit in between these two?" he says, taking note of how the two dishes clash slightly.

Tsukasa nods and tries the two dishes himself, seeing what Soma means. Rindou, who had returned from her food induced high, stares at the redhead. "You're pretty skilled to notice that so easily." she praises. "I want to try your cooking too! Go make something!" she demanded, scaring him with her rapid mood change.

"Okay. Let me see what's available." he replied, not letting how intimidated he is show. "We've got fish, rice, seasonings, what else…?" he trails off, clearly thinking of what dish to make. After a few minutes he looks to the elder male in the room, "May I?" Soma asks, gesturing to the tools and ingredients. Tsukasa nods, and sits down to watch his underclassman. Soma grabs some salmon, rice, and some seasonings. He pan fries the salmon, and starts cooking the rice and puts begins making some kelp tea. "Two orders of Onigiri Chazuke coming up." he mumbles, focusing back to the days when he worked at his family diner with his parents, and he nearly loses himself in his memories.. As he finishes cooking the two third years look at the simple dish with interest.

The two try the chazuke and are surprised by how much flavor is in the simple dish. Rindou, surprisingly, is the first to supply. "Yummy!" Soma sweatdropped, understanding what Tsukasa meant by her never giving feedback.

Tsukasa's response was a bit more informative. "It's good for a first year. I would actually say it is almost the level of an average second year. Your cooking style is almost completely opposite of mine though."

"Really?"

Rindou cuts in, "Yeah. Tsukasa removes himself completely from the dish, focusing on bringing out the best of every ingredient. You pour yourself entirely into your cooking."

Soma looks at Tsukasa with surprise, not understanding how a chef removes himself from his cooking. "I guess I've got a long way to go to be able to match you senpais." the freshman says with a grin on his face.

"So you want to take his seat?" Rindou asks catching Soma, who had yet to learn who the members of the Elite Ten were, off guard.

"He's on the Elite Ten? What seat?" he asks, shock audible in his voice.

The older students look at the underclassman surprised, as most students would know who the ten most important students in Tootsuki are. "You didn't know? He's the first seat, and I have the second." Rindou says, enjoying the look of shock on Soma's face.

Before Soma can say something else his phone goes off. Checking it, he sees it's Isshiki reminding him that he needs to be back before dark. "Shoot. I gotta go! It was nice meeting you Tsukasa-senpai, Rindou-senpai!" the red haired chef shouts as he rushes back to the dorm.

* * *

 **Polar Star Dorm, Sometime after dinner:**

"Hey Isshiki-senpai, can I ask you a question?" Soma asks, catching the flamboyant upperclassman's attention.

"What is it Yukihira-kun?" he responds, curious as to what Soma wanted.

"Can you help me get better? I mean by doing things like critiquing my dishes or pointing out flaws, sorta like a Shokugeki judge or a consultant. Or giving recommendations on what I need to improve."

"I'd be happy to!" Isshiki's expression shifts to one of curiosity, "What brought this on? You seem more driven than earlier."

"I met a couple of other upperclassmen and they showed me how far I need to go." Soma answered.

"Who? Kuga? Kinokuni?" Isshiki inquired.

"No. Who are they, other members of the Elite Ten? The two I met were Tsukasa-senpai and Rindou-senpai." Soma responds.

"That's right, Kuga Terunori is the current eighth seat while Kinokuni Nene holds the sixth. You got to meet Rindou Kobayashi and Tsu...kasa... Ei...shi…" the seventh seat trails off, his mind finally processing the information he was given. ' _You got to meet the two best students at Tootsuki. And from what you said, you got to try at least one of their dishes. Lucky!'_ the brown haired chef thinks, surprised at his junior's luck to run into them of all people. He smirks, "When do you want to start?"

"Eh, day after tomorrow? I want to see what Research Societies are available tomorrow, and I'm running low on ingredients." Soma pauses, yawning, "Besides, it's getting late. G'night senpai!." he calls as he walks towards his room, desperate for sleep.

* * *

 **This chapter was tough, mostly because I don't quite grasp Isshiki's character like I do the others. Point out any issues you spot, and feel free to ask questions. Reviews are much appreciated.**


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